CHAPEL HILL — A.J. Blue figures it’s his time to shine with the North Carolina football team.

The running back’s sometimes-curvy trek to the brink of his fifth season with the program has come to this juncture: He might be considered the key cog in the Tar Heels’ rushing attack.

“You can’t lead unless you serve,” Blue said Saturday, pointing out he has put in his time.

Blue said he has been around long enough to sense various mood swings around the program and within positional battles.

Now he’s one of the guys they’re talking about with a positive tone.

Coach Larry Fedora is likely to start any discussion of running backs by mentioning Blue, a 215-pounder out of North Gaston.

“Somebody is going to emerge,” Fedora said.

Blue began his college career as a quarterback, but eventually switched to tailback. Last year, he rushed for 433 yards as a complementary backfield component to Giovani Bernard.

While it took time for Blue to become a consistent difference maker on the field, he said it’s all part of a process.

“It’s all right as you grow from a freshman, you kind of roll into being that guy. You look forward to that,” Blue said. “You push yourself now because you have more guys who are great to push you. You’re going to get competition every day.”

Gone is the dynamic game-breaking talent of Bernard, who left with eligibility remaining to enter the NFL Draft. That would appear to be a big loss.

Yet the departure of Bernard is “actually a little hole in the backfield,” Fedora said, referring to the tailback’s 5-foot-9 frame.

In reality, the Tar Heels are bound to need to pool their resources to make up for no longer having Bernard.

Romar Morris is in the mix after picking up 386 yards on the ground last season. Freshmen T.J. Logan out of Northern Guilford and Khris Francis out of Durham Hillside are contenders as well.

“They push me every day,” Blue said. “The chemistry starts to develop. We always talk about we have to come in and help the team.”

North Carolina figures to need all hands on board when it opens the season Aug. 29 at South Carolina. So there’s a limited amount of time to sort out the best prospects at the position.

“Somebody is going to be out there on the 29th and somebody is going to be out there and produce,” Fedora said.

The competition at running back is ongoing while the backup quarterback spot is up for grabs behind incumbent starter Bryn Renner, Fedora said. Marquise Williams, despite time away from the program, and Mitch Trubisky are the top candidates for the second-string slot.